Pharma firms focused on talent retention, says Unispace chief

Pharma 4.0 — vital skills for next 5 years: MES engineering, data science, data management, machine learning and AI

John O’Reilly, global managing director of Unispace Life Sciences, says many life science companies many organisations are implementing newer initiatives such as Pharma 4.0, digital and sustainability, while simultaneously operating in legacy manufacturing facilities and platforms that require maintenance and recapitalisation.

Life science firms are focused on talent retention and tech skills as they embrace new initiatives such as Pharma 4.0, digital and sustainability, according to an in-depth new report.

The Unispace Life Sciences ‘Forefront’ report sheds light on advancements in manufacturing processes, digitisation, compliance, or quality, and the way the sector researches and commercialises drug products is constantly evolving.

For the report, Unispace surveyed over 180 life science industry leaders, interviewing 12 pharma companies, including six companies ranked in the top 20 globally. Unispace also hosted a roundtable discussion at the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) in Dublin and Orlando.

The report offers insights on the state of engineering delivery by identifying best practices and trends, as well as insights from industry leaders.

In January 2022, Unispace, a US-based global workspace design and construction company, acquired Irish firm BioPharma Engineering (BPE), based in Mahon in Cork, a designer of lab, research, and manufacturing facilities for pharma and life sciences companies around the world.

BPE was formed in Cork in 2006 by John O’Reilly and Richard Holohan. John O’Reilly is now global managing director of Unispace Life Sciences.

John O’Reilly said: “In essence, phamas are all being asked to do more, with less; to go faster and further while maintaining the status quo. It is a challenge the industry is not only meeting but — exceeding — in 2021, more drugs designated as first-in-class used the accelerated approval pathway than in previous years.

“Pharmaceutical companies are on the forefront of implementing technology and innovation to deliver life-saving drugs. Industry leaders are deeply committed to addressing challenges such as sustainability targets and the skills gap through greater investments, improved processes, and strategic planning.” 

 The ‘Forefront’ report showed that 80% of interviewees have recently or are currently upgrading and investing more in office/social spaces within facilities to compete for talent across all sectors.

The 180 leaders surveyed also indicated that pharmaceutical elegance and facility finish is driven by regulation and compliance, but also talent attraction and retention.

In relation to combating the skills gap, 85% of respondents are opting to upskill their current workforce instead of outsourcing to a third party.

Respondents cited skills that will be critical in the next five years: MES engineering (60%), data science (57%), data management (57%). There is also an increased focus on machine learning, AI and deep learning skills.

“While cross-functional teams create opportunity to bring in talent from other disciplines, the challenge here is to make sure whatever skill and location of resources, they need to be attracted, retained and be in an organisation that inspires innovation,” said John O’Reilly.

“With a global strain in the market, employees at all levels are involved in a variety of initiatives to adapt and become more centralised. This approach enables organisation to focus on key initiatives and roll them out holistically. Teams are being leveraged globally to share their thinking and focus, while third parties and on-the-ground teams champion initiatives locally.” 

The benchmarking report reveals that sustainability, equipment upgrades, and digitalization are among the biggest areas of focus for large pharmaceutical organizations. The research found that many companies are also focused on sustainability targets, but high production demands and the skills gap are creating challenges for organisations to realise their near-term priorities. 

Organisations are becoming more centralised when it comes to deploying key concepts such as pharma 1.0, innovations and technologies, sustainability and digital.

There has been a strong dependence on external consultants, notably for engineering and IT departments. However, there is a move to centralise teams, and migrate to a site team.

Global engineering and IT are becoming more and more seamless as they are so well integrated now. The pure IT function, in terms of providing laptops and networks, will still be independent, but business systems will integrate and talk with the platforms.

In 2022, over 29% of companies described themselves as either emerging or infancy when it comes to Pharma 4.0 initiatives. The most popular area of focus right now is platform integration and business tools. 78% of those surveyed said that they had a Pharma 4.0 roadmap for the next five years, while 53% were currently on the roadmap.

Sustainability is high on the agenda, particularly for Ireland-based pharmas. 56% of companies have formalised sustainability goals; 60% of respondents have or will have a sustainability budget this year, while 25% are adding a sustainability role at corporate and site levels to drive sustainability solutions forward.

With the pressure on to increase productivity, high demand is delaying equipment upgrades. Common reasons for replacing equipment were end-of-life (31%) and production or reliability risk (22%).

Equipment upgrades and replacements are often described as the hidden issue in pharma. With high demand and product speed-to-market needs, companies want to avoid ‘downtime’. Familiarity with existing technologies can contribute to a delay in upgrading to new technology.

“With a mix of old and new operations, many organisations are trying to advance and implement newer initiatives such as Pharma 4.0, digital and sustainability, while simultaneously operating in legacy manufacturing facilities and platforms that require maintenance and recapitalisation,” said John O’Reilly.

“There is no prescribed formula, no silver bullet, no one size fits all, when trying to transform and evolve an entire organisation. The industry is adapting and learning lessons from others, best practices within our own industry and beyond.”